The second or third bestselling car in India – Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is a living proof that Indian consumers are one of the most practical minded people in the world and the most unforgiving to old brand plates.
Massive space, oodles of head room, good luggage space, decent power, awesome fuel economy are coupled up into one big package. Sure, it looks like an odd ball and has a high center of gravity, but when it comes to practicality, there is one word trust – Wagon R.
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Right from mobile phones to automobiles, cheap Chinese counterparts are available globally but not everyone’s fascinated by them. We showed you the Maruti 800’s three-wheeled Chinese cousin called the ‘Qingqi Alto Trycicle’ about a month’s time back, which despite the stability issues at speed, was the ideal car for traders in rural China.
The latest images of the Zotye (pronounced Zaw Tay) Z100 flying in from China, which is the copy of the Maruti Suzuki A-Star (Alto everywhere else), portrays how how Zotye will celebrate the Alto’s stellar performance around the world over the past thirty years. Zoyte’s copy makes its debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April where it will share the booth with the Zotye Z300, a strikingly similar version of the Toyota Allion.
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The car known as the Celerio, Alto or the Nissan Pixo all around the world, didn’t exactly run riots in India. Manufactured in India for the rest of the world, the Maruti Suzuki A-Star found greater acceptance in export markets. Due to the pricing strategy, the A-Star had to contend with a sales champion in its own home. The Wagon R has played the role of the leader in the B segment and the A-Star is lost in its shadows.
To seek better fortunes, the A-Star was presented with a minor update in January this year through refreshing beige tone interiors, two new body colors and a new set of alloys.
Currently holding the 12th position in the market down under, Suzuki Australia has drawn up plans to climb up to the top 10 by bringing in new products, introducing products in new segments and widening its dealer network. The company aims at getting into the top 10 or even higher by 2017. The first step in reaching this position was the launch of the new Swift Sport, that left India’s heart bleeding.
Suzuki Australia could have managed a better position last year but due to the strike at the Guragaon plant in India, no Altos (A-Star as we know them) were produced and the dealerships at Australia couldn’t deliver any cars for three consecutive months i.e. November 2011 to January 2012 even affecting the sales in the beginning of 2012.
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The Suzuki Grand Vitara may not be the most popular car in India. But just a like baddie in a Rajnikanth movie, it refuses to die. Been in existence since 2005, the Grand Vitara has just got an update at the Canadian Auto expo. When we say ‘update’, what we really mean is some minor changes to the tail.
And by minor changes we mean, Suzuki has replaced the full-sized spare tire for a temporary donut spare and placed it underneath the floor of the cargo area. That’s it!
Suzuki Australia has launched the five-door version of the 2011 Swift Sport in the domestic market claiming it has more power, more torque, better dynamics, better fuel economy and increased safety. The distinctive visual features of the Swift Sport are
- A wider track with an all-new body kit
- 17-inch alloys
- A deep front grille
- Bi-xenon headlamps
- Blacked-out A and B pillars
- Extra-wide dual exhaust tips
- A composite-look rear diffuser
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Enthusiast blog SuzukiFan claims that Suzuki is working on the next generation Alto (A-Star to Indians) for a late 2013 launch. The SuzukiFan blog post is based on a report on Nikkei newspaper and internal sources. The A-Star was launched in December 2008 and may have advanced the successor’s introduction due to heavy competition.
IndianAutosBlog.com readers have already been informed about the next generation i10 (codenamed BA) arriving in the next two years with a diesel engine. The A-Star vs i10 battle will reach Stage 2 in 2013 if Suzuki decided its time for the new model.
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No this isn’t a Maruti 800 driven over a center median by a drunk driver.
In China a company named Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Corporation produced the three-wheeled version of the Alto (800 in India) briefly in the 90′s. The ‘Qingqi Alto Trycicle’ was manufactured with a 125cc, 12KW motorbike engine, CarNewsChina says, is “powerful enough to outrun a goat.” The central front wheel could not have grabbed more eyeballs than its 75-80k rupees starting price.
Three-wheeled cars are very popular in rural China and many car companies, despite stability issues at high speeds that pose serious safety concerns, continue to manufacture them. They serve as economical workhorses for traders in the week and double up as a family car on the weekends.
Sadly rural Chinese customers will have look in other places, as Jinan Qingi has moved on from the Qingqi Alto Trycicle to make handsome looking motorcycles.
